Can Argentina Be Trusted to Fairly Investigate the Mysterious Death of Alberto Nisman?

The investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of Argentinean prosecutor Alberto Nisman is underway.

Journalists who spoke with prosecutor Nisman as well as his ex-wife, his mother and others who knew him have pointed out that Nisman was not the kind of person that would have committed suicide. Others believe that Mr. Nisman was extremely motivated to expose his findings to the Argentinean Congress and cannot fathom why the prosecutor would take his life just hours before his testimony.

Now what is more worrisome is the attitude of the Argentinean government. President Cristina Kirchner first issued a communiqué through Facebook where she declared, with conviction, that Nisman committed suicide. Far from expressing any indignation or supporting a full investigation, Ms. Kirchner adopted a very defensive attitude stating all the Kirchner government has done to advance the investigation of the AMIA bombing even though no verdict has been reached on the matter for twenty-one years.

Then she attacked Nisman, himself. She raised suspicions about the prosecutor by asking why Nisman returned so suddenly to Argentina from a vacation when apparently he was to have returned much later. In that way, Ms. Kirchner claims if Nisman had the document accusing the government of a cover up ready before his vacation, why didn’t he reveal it at that time and why did he return so suddenly from his vacation.

In this way, Ms. Kirchner suggested that it was not really Nisman who had prepared the document but that somebody else did. Thus, the accusation against her was the result of a conspiracy prepared by the former chief of the intelligence service, Antonio Stiuso, whom Ms. Kirchner fired a few weeks earlier.

In fact, she suggested that the Nisman accusation was a political act against the government and not the result of an independent, objective judicial investigation. Then she proceeded to blame opposition newspapers for publishing information against her government.

Ms. Kirchner began to raise speculative hypotheses. She asked; “Isn’t this a coincidence that Mr. Nisman received a weapon from an employee from his own office”?

Indeed, the employee who provided a weapon to Nisman is the only one indicted so far. According to his version, Nisman requested the weapon because he did not trust his bodyguards who were members of the Federal police. The indictment is based on the fact that he provided the weapon to Mr. Nisman.

However, members of the Federal police in charge of Nisman’s security were interrogated and investigators found contradictions in their testimony. Two of them were fired from the Federal Police for negligence in their duties to protect Nisman. Investigations of members of the Federal (National) Police continue. I assume that further investigations will follow if it is determined that there is a connection between their negligence and Nisman’s death.

In a second communiqué, Ms. Kirchner, again, interfered in the investigation by raising new hypotheses and theories of what might have happened. This time she claimed that she is convinced that it was not a suicide. In fact, Kirchner argues, “”Nisman’s accusations were not the real act against the government. Nisman’s death was”. Kirchner suggested that the noise of the unfounded accusation plus the atmosphere generated by events in France made Nisman’s death a more dramatic event and a key piece to destroy the current Argentinean government. “They used Nisman while he was alive and then they needed him dead”.

In a third communiqué that was broadcast on national television Ms. Kirchner proposed to dismantle the country’s intelligence secretariat, altogether. The idea behind this is that the former chief of intelligence, Mr. Stiuso, was closely associated with Nisman. Stiuso was fired from the institution three weeks before Nisman’s death. According to Kirchner’s theory it was Stiuso who wrote the Nisman report and not Nisman, himself. President Kirchner claimed that the intention was to harm her government; not to seek the truth.

Curiously enough, Stiuso’s power grew exponentially under the government of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner. The intelligence service budget reached 800 million dollars and its operations included wiretapping of political opponents. In fact, Kirchner liked the idea of having an intelligence service loyal to the government. According to Argentinean journalist, Uki Goni writing for “The Guardian” and quoting an anonymous intelligence source, said that when Ms. Kirchner found out in October, 2014 that Nisman was preparing to press charges against her for an alleged cover up of Iran’s role in the bombing, she was angry at Mr. Stiuso for not alerting her. By late December, she began to suspect that it was Stiuso who had brainwashed Nisman against her and then she proceeded to fire Stiuso and began preparing to dismiss Nisman, as well.

Furthermore, a journalist from the Buenos Aires Herald, Damian Pachter was the first one to report on Nisman’s death on Sunday January 18th in the evening. Mr. Pachter felt that unknown people, probably from the intelligence service, were following him. He fled Argentina first to Uruguay and then to Israel. The Kirchner government made public Pachter’s itinerary thanks to information provided by the state owned airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, which is fully controlled by Kirchner loyalists. The publication of Pachter’s plane ticket and schedule was a government act that endangered the security of the journalist and raises suspicions as to why he was followed and why the government published such information.

Likewise, Nisman’s ex-wife received threats.

There is another curious thing. On the pages of a daily newspaper loyal to Ms. Kirchner, one of the journalists wrote that Mr. Stiuso worked more for the Mossad and the CIA than for the Pink House” (The Argentinean government).

Another journalist loyal to Kirchner wrote, this time on the pages of the New York Times, that Syria might have been more responsible than Iran for the bombing and that accusing Iran was a conspiracy orchestrated by then Argentinean President Carlos Menem and then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to cover up for Syria.

I believe these statements, although written by journalists, exactly reflect the ideas that President Kirchner is trying to plant in the minds of Argentineans , namely, Nisman and Stiuso were not loyal to Argentina but to the U.S and Israel, thus appealing to nationalistic and chauvinistic elements that in Argentina is not hard to find.

Although, there is no proof that Nisman was murdered or that the Argentinean government ordered the murder, the attitude of the Argentinean government is inappropriate and I would say also suspicious. By raising unfounded theories in the midst of a judicial investigation, the government seems to be trying to intentionally confuse the public. But besides this, Ms. Kirchner’s attitude is unconstitutional and illegal. One of the leaders of the Prosecutor’s Association in Argentina demanded restraint from the president when referring to a case under investigation. In response, President Kirchner claimed that she has a right of free expression and that all Argentinean citizens are equal. Yet she forgot that she represents the executive power, not just another citizen and that the division of powers is an institutional reality in any working democracy. The president’s attitude is outrageous as she makes the disgraceful Argentinean institutional system worse than it is. Argentina does not seem to be a country of laws but has turned into a Republic of fear.

Therefore, Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fl) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ)’s demand that that an independent international investigation be conducted is justified.

The manipulative attitude of the Argentinean government on an issue that involves a serious security problem for the U.S. (namely the Iranian involvement in a major terrorist attack) deserves an international response aimed at putting pressure on the Argentinean leaders.

If the investigation of Nisman’s death and the follow up of the Nisman report continue to be undermined, the U.S. should deny visas to or declare members of the Argentinean government persona non grata.

7 Responses to Can Argentina Be Trusted to Fairly Investigate the Mysterious Death of Alberto Nisman?

All Argentina common people is absolutely convinced that Doctor Nisman was assasinated, in a desperate maneuver of the Kichner’s Government to prevent the presentation of Doctor Nisman in the Argentine Congress for explain the results of his investigations. Moreover, a draft also wrote for Dr. Nisman was found in his wastepaper basket. In that draft, Dr. Nisman requested the immediate arrest of Mrs. Kirchner, Chancellor Timmerman and the hidden delinquents who were the contacts with Iran in Buenos Aires: the nasty neonazi Luis D’Elia, and the intermediate with Iran Embassy, Yussuf Khalil. Initially, Arg Governmente denied the existence of that draft, but, because emerging of some information, the Governmet was inevitable obliged to recognize the existence of that draft. In the news website The Informador Público, Mr. Guillermo Cherashny revelaled obtained information about the intervention of the SEBIN (Bolivarian Intelligence) or, more probable, cuban DGI (General Directorate of Intelligence, who operates in Venezuela) to provide the necessary logistic for the Operation against Dr. Nisman, but the killer was an Argentine individual. The great mistery, is the provision (by his informatic adjutant Mr. Diego Lagomarsino), to Dr. Nisman, a BERSA pistol .22 caliber, that was found under the body (it was neccesary a traceable weapon, to sustain the initially Official argument that Dr. Nisman had commited suicide). On February 18, all the Argentine Prosecutors will march, and the people in all main cities of Argentina, to demand the clarify of Dr. Nisman death. I think that the truth never be knew. USA offered help to Argentina for investigate, but Arg Government refuse to accept. If the FBI would came here bringing a Polygraph, some suspicious individuals here should be very scared, I have no doubt.
Thank You very much. Best regards from RR.

I see once again, Mr Fleischman, that you have no qualms about interference in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation, whilst the organization that you belong to does not like external powers meddling in the internal affairs of USAmerica.

Did you actually read my reply to your previous disgusting diatribe regarding Nisma’s death?
I have no choice but to write the following in capitals in the hope that you get it into your thick skull :

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER FOR KIRCHNER TO HAVE NISMAN KILLED BECAUSE HIS ACCUSATION HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE A FEW DAYS BEFORE HIS DEATH. KILLING HIM DOES NOT “KILL” THE ACCUSATION. THE ACCUSATION REMAINS AFTER NISMAN’S DEATH.
If Nismamn had been killed BEFORE presenting the accusation then I may be suspicious of Kirchner.

You also make many factual mistakes in this essay.
In CFK’s first letter she does not categorically state that Nisman committed suicide, she writes it thus :

“¿suicidio?”

Did you notice the question marks, Mr Fleischman ?
Question marks mean that she is no certain if it was a suicide.

In her second letter she does indeed categorically state that she is convinced that Nisman was murdered. But at no point did CFK publicly ever categorically state (written or oral) that Nisman had committed suicide.
YOU ARE LYING ONCE AGAIN MR FLEISCHMAN. Will you retract your lies?

Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that CFK had already known that Nisman was preparing to accuse her. If that was the case, she would have presented charges against Nisman. Why? BECAUSE NISMAN WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN EXCLUSIVELY WORKING ON TRYING TO DETERMINE WHO BOMBED THE AMIA. The parallel investigation into CFK WAS NOT authorised by Nisman’s boss, judge Canicoba, and therefore it was an ILLEGAL INVESTIGATION. Such illegal investigation would have been a good cause for CFK to present charges against Nisman for dereliction of duty and illegal investigating.
The fact that CFK did not do this shows that she was completely unaware of Nisman’s intentions until the day he made the accusation. CFK was as surprised as the rest of us.

Another thing, Nisman had personally handpicked his bodyguards. If it was true that he did not trust them then he had only himself to blame. Argentina’s federal attorney general offered Nisman new or additional bodyguards if he so wished but he declined the offer.

Regarding Nisman’s loyalties, it is a well known fact that Nisman regularly reported to the USAmerican embassy in Buenos Aires. I ask you Mr Fleischman, what would you think if a USAmerican federal prosecutor regularly reported to a foreign embassy in Washington?

Regarding Pachter, who stated that he was being followed. Well, again let us use a bit of common sense Mr Fleischman and ask ourselves two questions –
1) If the federal government was persecuting Pachter, why was he allowed to book a plane ticket on the state owned national airline and why was he allowed to leave the country via an airport ? If a government wants to capture someone, it would capture them the moment they show their passport at an airport.
2)Why would the federal government want to harm Pachter? What had he done? He simply was the first journalist to reveal the death of Nisman. That is hardly a secret, anyone and everyone would have eventually known about Nisman’s death.
Furthermore, Pachter claimed to also work in an Israeli newspaper. A journalist that works in said newspaper has stated that Pachter does not work at the newspaper. Who is lying?

Mr Fleischman, will it reassure you to know that the female federal judge that is in charge of the investigation of Nisman’s death is a rabid anti-kirchnerist?
If this anti-CFK judge determines that the current federal government is not to blame for Nisman’s death, will you promise that you will not write another diatribe full of lies?

Regarding the imbecile senator Rubio, I invite him to shove his comments where the sun does not shine.
If Rubio is so concerned about justice why does he not request that the real killer of JFK is revealed?
Why does he not request a full investigation into Bush jr’s electoral fraud?
Why does he not request that everyone involved in the illegal rendition and torture of suspects is jailed?
Why does he not request that those involved in the illegal invasion of Iraq is jailed?
Why does he not request that Kissinger, who is directly or indirectly responsible for the invasion and/or destabilization of numerous countries around the world, is jailed?

The UNITED STATES OF HIPOCRISY.

And a message to the person that commented above.
Raúl, I do NOT want any foreign country involving itself in Nisman’s death investigation. This is nobody else’s business but our own so please do not say that the FBI should come to Argentina to investigate.
I would trust a mentally retarded chimpanzee wielding a machine gun more than I would trust anyone from the rotten USAmerica.

Dear Sirs: Don’t care about “Gaucho” commentaries. He is no more than another disgusting Kirchnerist. Simply, that gang fiercely hates USA, and that is an heritage from Juan Perón, the nazis’ protector. The Kirchnerists sympathize with Axis China-Russia-Iran (oh, yes, the good guys!).
Best Regards, from Raul Rapelli Lanteri

Raúl, your pathetic comment deserves no reply but I have decided to lower myself to your level and answer you anyway. Because rather than countering my arguments, you resort to insults. Well, I will give you more arguments here, I’d love to see if you can counter them.

1) No, I am not a “disgusting kirchnerist”. For your information, I have NEVER voted the FPV party at any level (municipal, provincial or national) because I have enough criticisms of the FPV to make me not vote for them. In fact, not a single political party in Argentina has ever convinced me to vote for them so therefore I have ALWAYS voted “blank” in every single election at all levels. I truly am completely apolitical. But being apolitical does not mean that I do not respect the democratic will of the majority. And the majority has voted for CFK and even if I do not completely agree with her politics, I want democracy to be respected and for her to legally finish her presidency on the 10th of December 2015. Moreover, I DO NOT wish to see any attempt of any type of a coup d’etat. Nisman’s accusation was a refined attempt of a coup.

2) Nisman’s accusation is a complete, total and utter load of bovine excrement. Nobody with two functioning neurons can take it seriously. The moment that Ronald Noble of Interpol publicly stated that Nisman was lying with regards to the “red list” of arrest warrants, Nisman’s accusation collapsed.

3) One does not have to be a “kirchnerist” in order to dismiss Nisman’s accusation as fantasy. This has no relation whatsoever with one’s political viewpoint. Nisman’s accusation is a joke, whatever your political viewpoint.
In case you did not know Raúl, Nisman’s accusation is based on a parallel investigation that he mounted. This parallel investigation WAS NOT approved by his boss, judge Canicoba. If judge Canicoba did not approve the investigation then it means that the investigation is completely ILLEGAL (meaning that Nisman commited a felony), thus making his accusation legally invalid.

4) Even if the accusation itself was legally valid, it was still completely false. Let’s look at two of the main key points of Nisman’s accusation :

a) The federal government wanted Interpol to remove the iranians from the “red list”.

The truth – Interpol has categorically confirmed that at no time Argentina asked to have the iranians removed from the list, in fact, Argentina reminded Interpol that the signing of the memorandum should not result in the removal of the iranians from the list.
Also, the only person in the world that can ask Interpol to remove the iranians is judge Canicoba. Therefore, even if the government had asked for the names to be removed, Interpol would not have removed them.

b) Argentina wanted to exchange petroleum for grains with Iran.

The truth – Argentina only needs to import around 2% of the petroleum it needs. The remaining 98% is Argentinian petroleum.
Iran’s petroleum has approximately 500% more sulphur content than the standards allowed in Argentina. this means that Iran petroleum CANNOT be refined in Argentina. It would need the sulphur to be removed at source, this would increase the cost of the petroleum. Therefore the 2% petroleum needed would have to be imported from other countries but NOT from Iran.
Regarding grains, the federal government DOES NOT produce or sell food grain. Therefore, in order to sell grain to Iran, the federal government would need at least one private agricultural company. Nowhere in his accusation does Nisman mention any private agricultural company.

So Raúl, please answer me this – If Interpol stated that nobody from the government asked for the iranians to be removed, and that only judge Canicoba can ask for the removal of the names; who is lying ? Nimsan or the government ?

Raúl, please answer me this – If Iranian petroleum CANNOT be used in Argentina, why would Argentina want to import it ? Who is lying, Nisman or the government ?

Raúl, please answer me this – If ONLY private companies can sell grain, why would the government want to sell a product it does not own to Iran ? Who is lying ? Nisman or the government ?

5) Raúl, I must remind you that Nisman formally and officialy presented his (fantasy) accusation four days BEFORE he died. Answer me this – Why on earth would the government kill him AFTER he presented the accusation ? Would it not make sense for Nisman to die before making the accusation ?

Now answer me this Raúl – Why would the government kill Nisman on the basis of such an absurd accusation (and in an election year)?

6) I must also remind you that the opposition parties wanted to question Nisman about his accusation by asking Nisman to Congress, but they all wanted this intervention to be private and behind closed doors. The ONLY party that wanted to have Nisman’s intervention in Congress to be public and be televised live was the FPV party.

Raúl, answer me this – If the FPV was worried about Nisman and/or had something to hide why was it the only party to want the procedure to be open and public ?

7) Raúl, why is it that in the 10 years since Nisman was assigned to investigate the AMIA bombing, he barely made any progress whatsoever ?

So Raúl, the only logical conclusion is this – Nisman was not stupid, no prosecutor of his experience would have ever presented such an accusation of their own accord so therefore, someone coerced Nisman into making his completely absurd, fantasy and illegal accusation. If Nisman did not commit suicide, then whoever made Nisman present the accusation is who killed him.

Oh, by the way. I choose to hide my identity here because USAmerica spies on everyone and I do not want USAmerica to know who I am thus I remain anonymous. It’s not cowardice, it’s safety.
However, if you are not a coward then reply to me properly to all the arguments I have made WITHOUT insulting me.

And yes, USAmerica are indeed the “bad guys”. They have caused untold damage to Latin America for decades. Not just Latin America though, most of the world. It’s not being a “peronist” (I am not one), it’s the truth.

Gaucho: Nisman’s accusation was truth, and he was murdered. I don’t need so much words as you. Hilarious your excuse to not sign your opinions under your real name. By the way, do you will feel comfortable with the marxists-leninist Chinese regime, who is taking control over argentine raw materials and are building a “Space Station” in Neuquen? Who give them the permission to install military facilities into our “sovereign” Nation?

I made a mistake. I thought that Raúl was an adult. Based on his level of reasoning I now realise that he must be an infant.
Raúl, why don’t you go and play in the park with your little friends ?

Why do I say you are a child ? Because only a child would reply to me as you did.
Instead of answering the questions I gave you in my earlier comment, you still insist that Nisman is telling the truth and you are still obsessed about my identity.

I will write the following with capital letters to ensure that you understand, but please do not think I am “shouting” to you (no need to go crying to your mother about the bad anonymous man that shouts at you in this forum).

NISMAN´S ACCUSATION IS FALSE BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING (EXTREMELY OBVIOUS, LOGICAL AND FACTUAL) REASONS :

1) RONALD NOBLE (EX DIRECTOR OF INTERPOL) HAS CATEGORICALLY STATED THAT NOBODY IN THE GOVERNMENT ASKED INTERPOL TO REMOVE THE IRANIANS FROM THE “RED LIST”.

2) THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT CAN ASK FOR THE IRANIANS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE “RED LIST” IS JUDGE CANICOBA. CFK AND TIMERMAN CANNOT DO THIS. NISMAN DOES NOT ACCUSE CANICOBA OF ASKING INTERPOL TO REMOVE IRANIANS FROM LIST.

3) IRANIAN PETROLEUM CANNOT BE USED IN ARGENTINA DUE TO HIGH SULPHUR CONTENT. ARGENTINA HAS NOT IMPORTED IRANIAN OIL.

4) ARGENTINA’S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CANNOT SELL GRAINS TO ANYONE BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT HAVE ANY GRAINS TO SELL. ONLY PRIVATE COMPANIES CAN DO THIS. NISMAN DOES NOT MENTION ANY PRIVATE COMPANY IN HIS ACCUSATION.

5) NISMAN DIED AFTER (YES, A. F. T. E. R., REPEAT, AAAAAFFFFTTTTEEEEEERRRRR) HE OFFICIALLY PRESENTED HIS ACCUSATION TO THE JUDICIARY. THIS MEANS THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO NISMAN, HIS ACCUSATION REMAINS. IF THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO KILL NISMAN BECAUSE OF WHAT HE KNEW IT WOULD ONLY MAKE SENSE TO KILL HIM BEFORE (YES, B. E. F. O. R. E.) HE OFFICIALLY PRESENTED HIS ACCUSATION TO THE JUDICIARY.

OK Raúl. Is your infantile cerebrum able to understand these very simple five facts ? I hope so.
However, if you still insist with your crazy theory then I have no other option but to conclude that you must be mentally retarded and wish you a speedy recovery or at least a comfortable padded cell in your local asylum.

If you are going to reply again, please do so by answering my questions. Otherwise, please SHUT THE F*CK UP !!

Regarding China’s space base, I would prefer not have ANY other country having ANY type of base in Argentina. But in today’s world, the game of geopolitics is very complex. If given to choose, I would rather have a Chinese space base than an USAmerican military base.

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